THE Left movement in Tripura reached a new mile stone on 19th August 19 as more than 2.25 lakh people formed human chains at 96 centres across the state stretching to around 300 kilometres in all. The impressive show of strength marked the culmination of the August movement at the call of CPI(M) Tripura state committee and it was unprecedented in the annals of mass mobilisation in the state.
The human chains across the state saw huge participation of masses from all sections of people. In most of the centres outside Agartala, the scheduled time for forming the chain, -- 11.30 am to 12 pm, saw a heavy downpour. But the foul weather could not dampen the spirit of the masses.
In Agartala those participating in the human chain included CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and chief minister, Manik Sarkar, CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar, Central Committee members Khagen Das, Badal Choudhury, Gautam Das, Rama Das, state secretariat members Manik Dey, Narayan Kar, among others. The people holding hands and bearing placards with the demands of the August campaign, caught the attentions of thousands of passersby.
This programme was the culmination of the August campaign on six demands:
i) No downsizing of central budget allocation for agriculture and rural development. Centre must procure agricultural products directly from the farmers at profitable prices.
ii) Centre must ensure provision of 100 days work in MGNREGA scheme. Centre must ensure regular flow of funds to the states for this scheme as per requirement of the states.
iii) Centre must rescind the anti-peasant Land Acquisition Bill.
iv) Centre must generate job opportunities for the unemployed. The lakhs of vacant posts lying in central government departments must be filled up.
v) Enforce Food Security Act. Every family, irrespective of BPL/APL, must be supplied 35 kg rice per month at the rate of not more than Rs 2 per kg.
vi) The special category status of the North East states must be retained. They must not be deprived of this at any cost.
In addition to it the campaign also focused on the demands of the countrywide strike on September 2 called by the central trade unions.
The campaign kicked off with 24 sub-division level conventions. This was followed by 5179 meetings in panchayats, ADC villages and wards of the urban areas. Para-wise (hamlet) meetings were held in both rural and urban areas. Thereafter, a total of 1162 panchayat/village and ward wise jathas were organised throughout the state. The jathas covered one or more panchayat/village areas.
All these were supplemented by posters displayed across the state and write ups explaining each of the demands published in Daily Desher Katha.
CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar congratulated the people for their participation in the human chains.
"The enthusiastic participation of the masses, despite rains in most parts of the state, is proof enough that the masses have embraced the six point demands and have taken to streets on their own demands. The central government should pay heed to the legitimate demands otherwise more vigorous movements will follow," he said.
August Campaign: Demonstrations Held across Uttarakhand
PROTESTS and demonstrations were held across Uttarakhand as part of the nationwide campaign call given by CPI(M) against the anti-people and pro-corporate policies, communal conspiracies, and corruption scandals of the BJP-led Modi regime at the Centre, and on various issues related to the people of the state.
The protests and demonstrations were held in two phases. In the first phase from August 1 to August 10, meetings and rallies were organised in block and tehsil levels. During this phase, demonstrations were held at Ghat, Deval, Tharali, Guptkashi, Basukedar, Jakholi Raipur, Doiwala, Vikasnagar, Dehradun Coperation, Mussorie, Barkot, Pratapnagar, Thauldhar, Hawalbaag, Roorkee, Laldhang, Salt, Shaktifarm, Rudrapur, Sitarganj, Sahaspur, BHEL, Sarvharaanagar, Rishikesh, Kaljkhal, Khirsu and Bageshwar. The demonstrations received good response from the masses and at many places hundreds of people took part in the protests against the anti-people policies of the central and state governments.
In the final phase of the campaign beginning August 10, demonstrations were held in Tehri, Haridwar, Almora, Chamoli, Rudrprayag, Pauri, Dehradun, Udhamsingh Nagar, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi and Bageshwar districts. The encouraging sign of the campaign was the entry of new sections of students, youths and working women.
In the run up to the fortnight campaign, a meeting of the Party's extended state committee made a strategic decision to devote the entire month of July to reach out to all Party members and sympathisers. In order to accomplish this task, meetings of four district committees, 13 local committees and five local organising committees were held with state secretariat and state committee members participating as observers. One of the major decisions taken in these meetings was to hold general body meetings of the Party members and sympathiser and 22 such meetings were held in different districts of the state. A total of 12 districts out of 13 were covered and this fact remains to be a milestone in the history of political campaigning in the state. The youth federation also held a two-day 'party school' in the run up to the campaign.
The state committee also decided to not hold a centralised rally in the state considering the monsoon season, which particularly makes July and August difficult months for Uttarakhand. It is this time when all road networks are affected making movements and connectivity between regions difficult. Despite all odds, the majority of the state committee members took upon themselves the responsibility of mobilising, monitoring and discussing the issue involved including the local ones which came in the framework of all India campaign paradigm.
It can be said in conclusion that the decision of not holding a centralise rally was substantially compensated by the mass mobilisation at district levels. At this juncture, it can be safely said that intensive work is required to deepen and assimilate the experience gained. The work at the mass fronts, their ideological level and their capacity for mass mobilisation need to be augmented. The gains made on the students, youth and women’s front should be consolidated. The work at the trade union and kisan fronts needs thorough streamlining. The need for development of women cadre from among the fighting section -- scheme workers and rural workers -- has been brought to the forefront in the state. Needless to say the task involved massive overhaul of the kisan and trade union fronts approach to the challenge of the current political situation in general and in the state in particular.
August Campaign with
‘Peoples Independence Day’ in Karnataka
Vasanth
THE Karnataka unit of CPI(M) implemented the Central Committee’s call for ‘protest campaign for resolution of burning issues affecting rural people as a result of deepening agrarian distress from August 1-14’, in a unique way. Karnataka state committee gave a call for a 45-day (July 1– August 14) three-phase campaign focussing on local (mostly rural) issues. One or more local issues were picked up for intensive campaign at gram, taluk and district levels. Political conventions were held at taluk and district levels. Apart from broken promises of ‘Acche Din’ by the one-year Modi-led NDA rule at the centre, the campaign also focussed on unfulfilled promises of the two-year Siddaramayya-led Congress rule in the state. Wrong policies of the central/state governments responsible for and non-resolution of the issues were highlighted.
The last leg of the campaign culminated in a dharna till midnight on August 14 in front of the district collector’s offices, ending with a ‘Peoples Independence Day’ celebration by hoisting of national flag at the stroke of midnight. Running theme of the long campaign was that pledges made in Nehru’s historic speech ’Tryst with destiny’, are not yet fulfilled even after 68 years. It is not going to be fulfilled by the Congress. It was never on the agenda of the BJP. Hence, Left led by the CPI(M) can alone fulfil it. Karnataka CPI(M) members and supporters pledged to work for the fulfilment of the unrealised promises.
Local issues included non-payment/non-availability of MGNREGA work, house-sites, roads, waste disposal, health issues etc. Areas where recent atrocities (in Marakumbi, Beltangady) were reported, issue of atrocities on dalits, adivasis were taken up. In Bangalore city districts, the campaign got merged with the BBMP pre-election campaign covering civic issues – shortage and poor state of water/electricity and other civic amenities, unresponsive poor governance and rampant corruption.
Taluk and district level issues included – serial peasant suicides; specific problems associated with particular crops (eg, sugarcane, cotton); silk cocoon price crash; milk producers issues; demand to implement perennial irrigation project to address chronic shortage of water for drinking and agricultural purposes; and creeping drought situation. Conventions at taluk and district levels were held, jathas were held with cultural squads and large number of pamphlets were distributed. Two booklets highlighting the non-performance of central and state governments were widely distributed. Demonstrations were held in front of gram and taluk panchayat offices.
The 45-day campaign was held in 20 districts. Campaign in Chickballapur district was the most extensive covering all talukas with 10 jathas for 25 days, 50,000 pamphlets distributed and thousands participating. Campaigns in three more districts were near total with most talukas covered except one or two. In rest of the 16 districts campaigns were held to various degrees. On August 14, a 12 hour dharna till midnight was held in most of the 20 districts in front of the DC office. In some districts it was held in defiance of refusal of permission to hold it. Participants in the 12 hour dharna ranged from few hundreds to few thousands in each district.
Dharnas were preceded by large processions. They were accompanied by speeches, songs, skits, plays, dances. In some districts distinguished artists, writers, persons associated with various socio-political movements participated in the dharna. Most districts also held candle-light or torchlight processions in the night. The 12 hour dharna ended with hoisting the flag and taking the pledge at the stroke of midnight. In Bangalore, veteran leader of the Party hoisted the flag, while in Hassan a woman safai karmachari hoisted the flag. The long campaign generated tremendous enthusiasm in the participants and public.
IN TELANGANA
Responding to the call given by the Central Committee for nationwide activity on rural issues, a campaign was conducted in Telangana state from 8 to 14 August. Seminars, conventions, round table meetings, jeep jathas, dharnas, meetings etc were conducted from August 8. Dharnas were held in 167 mandal headquarters on August 13 while in 7 district centres they were held on August 14. Over 10,000 posters and 1 lakh pamphlets were printed and distributed among people highlighting the issues. CPI(M) central secretariat member V Srinivasa Rao participated and addressed the meetings in Khammam, Mahbubnagar and Warangal districts. He termed farmer suicides as government murders. One would be mistaken if they attribute the spate of suicides in many states of the country in the recent times due to lack of rains for kharif season. The farmers were killing themselves mainly because of the anti-farmer policies of state and central governments. They were being left to fend for themselves even as private money lenders were exploiting them mercilessly. He questioned Telangana chief minister’s claims of building a ‘Golden Telangana’ and said his policies were resulting in spate of farmer suicides. Lambasting KCR’s comments deriding the unions and organisations fighting for the cause of workers, the CPI(M) leader reminded him that he was in that chair precisely due to the struggles by such unions and organisations. CPI(M) state secretariat members and AIKS vice president S Malla Reddy also participated in the programmes in districts.
(INN)
